Transportation Commission recommends Common Council accept 2025 progress update to Madison comprehensive plan

The City of Madison Transportation Commission voted to recommend that the Common Council accept the 2025 progress update to the City of Madison Comprehensive Plan, with three technical corrections to agency attributions.

The recommendation followed a presentation by Brian Grady, a planner in the City of Madison Plan Division, who described the report as “a progress update on the comprehensive plan’s recommendations” and said staff were seeking the commission’s recommendation to forward the document to the Common Council. Grady explained the update recategorizes the plan’s 209 actions by lead agencies and status and noted recent changes in status for several transportation-related strategies, including items tied to the bus rapid transit (BRT) network redesign and updates to the subdivision ordinance.

Commissioner Chris McHale moved the recommendation “with the 3 changes to 1c, 9c and 9d,” referring to edits that add the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) as a lead on two actions and remove Traffic Engineering as a lead on one action. Commissioner Robbie Weber seconded. Chair Anne Kovich called for discussion, heard none and announced the motion carried by unanimous consent.

Why it matters: the progress update is the city’s report back to the public on actions that trace to the 2018 comprehensive plan. The Transportation Commission’s recommendation is advisory; acceptance is a Common Council decision. Grady told the commission the full plan update cycle is on a 10‑year cadence and that staff expect a fuller plan update in the 2026–2028 timeframe.

Key details and next steps: - Presenting staff: Brian Grady, Planner, City of Madison Plan Division. - Motion: recommend accepting the 2025 progress update to the comprehensive plan to the Common Council with three technical corrections (add DOT to strategy 1c and 9d; remove Traffic Engineering from 9c). Mover: Commissioner Chris McHale; seconder: Commissioner Robbie Weber. Outcome: motion carried by unanimous consent; no roll-call vote recorded. - Staff said they will transmit the document and the requested edits to the Common Council and will present the update to the Planning Commission as part of the review process.

The commission also approved the minutes of its previous meeting by unanimous consent earlier in the session with no recorded opposition.